He ‘changed cricket forever’: Maxwell, Buttler lead tributes for AB de Villiers as South Africa great retires

A host of current and former cricketers have paid their tributes to AB de Villiers after the South Africa great announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Friday.

AB de Villers announced his retirement from all forms of cricket earlier on Friday, bringing to an end a 17-year career where he established himself as one of South Africa's greatest players.

File Photo of AB de Villiers.(Getty Images)

De Villiers had retired from all international formats in May 2018 but was in talks about a return to the limited-overs side for the Twenty20 World Cup before deciding against playing for the Proteas again.

The 37-year-old was still involved in franchise cricket, last playing in the Indian Premier League for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who described his retirement as the "end of an era" after a decade with the Indian franchise.

Following his announcement, a host of current and former cricketers took to their official Twitter account to pay tribute to the South African great.

Jos Buttler, one of England's most aggressive batters in the current squad, wrote, “What a player! I was one of so many who would turn on the tv just to watch you bat. Enjoy retirement, what a career.”

Faf du Plessis, who has shared the South African dressing room with AB de Villiers for a majority of his time in international cricket, called him the ‘greatest player’ he has ever played with.

Here is how the other current and former cricketers paid tribute to the South African.